Can Hamsters Swim? Should You Let Them Go Into Water?

Hamsters are naturally found in dry habitats, so it seems like they would have little reason to swim anywhere, but can hamsters swim if they have to? And do they enjoy it when they do?

Just because wild hamsters wouldn’t naturally encounter large bodies of water doesn’t mean these little mammals are unable to swim!

It can be interesting to know all the abilities that our pets have. Knowing if our hamsters can swim, and whether they like water in general can also be really useful, especially when wondering how to bathe them!

Can hamsters swim?

Wild hamsters tend to live in dry, hot climates. This leads to the question, do hamsters swim naturally? Can hamsters go in water?

Just because an animal doesn’t naturally live in a wet, moist habitat, doesn’t mean they can’t physically swim!

Hamsters in the wild won’t often come across large bodies of water to swim in.

But laboratory tests have shown that hamsters are physically able to swim when exposed to water or when they are made to enter water.

Hamsters have been found to swim with less complex techniques than other, larger mammals, but they can swim nonetheless!

And at a young age, swimming as a form of exercise has been suggested to help improve the health of hamsters!

Can dwarf hamsters swim?

Dwarf hamsters in the wild live in similar, very dry conditions, just like syrian hamsters.

However, just like syrian hamsters, dwarf hamsters are also capable of swimming!

This might be surprising because of their smaller size, but they’re just as able!

Because dwarf hamsters are smaller, you might want to reduce the depth of the water you let your hamster swim in!

So now we know hamsters of all sizes can swim, do hamsters like to swim?

Do hamsters like water?

Just because hamsters physically can swim doesn’t mean that they necessarily enjoy doing so.

The hot, dry natural habitats of hamsters mean that they wouldn’t normally encounter water to swim in.

This means wild hamsters would naturally steer clear of water unless it was to drink.

So does that mean hamsters don’t enjoy swimming?

Obviously knowing if hamsters like swimming is just as important as knowing can hamsters swim, as we don’t want to force our pets to do activities they don’t actually enjoy!

And keeping our pets’ stress to a minimum is important!

It can be really hard to tell whether our hamsters are enjoying swimming or not, but if it seems like your hamster is looking for an escape route from the water, or starting to panic, it is best to remove it just to be on the safe side!

Can hamsters swim in a bathtub?

The most natural place you might want to allow your hamster to swim is in your bathtub.

Your bathtub allows you to control the water levels.

But remember how small your hamster is! You don’t want it to be out of its depth, which could lead to panic, especially as hamsters don’t naturally choose to swim, and the tall slippery sides of the bath don’t provide much grip!

Can hamsters swim in a pool?

You might be wondering, if hamsters can swim in water, do hamster swimming pools exist?

Pools specifically designed for hamsters are not common, as many people who choose to let their hamsters swim tend to use bathtubs, bowls, or actual swimming pools!

However, this can be risky, as pools often have very steep sides, and are very deep and wide.

This can mean if your hamster starts to struggle as it swims, it could become very stressed, and you might not reach it before this stress badly affects your hamsters happiness or health.

The lack of escape routes for hamsters in pools designed for humans can also lead to extra stress!

If you’re really eager to see if your hamster likes swimming, it would be best to try things out with a large, shallow bowl at first.

Or, at least keep the water level in the pool very low. Make sure you pay attention to remove your hamster if it shows any signs of stress.

Something with an easy escape route would be best. This gives your hamster the opportunity to remove itself from the water if it is not enjoying swimming as much as you hoped it would!

Hamsters and water – A Summary

So can hamsters swim in water?

Yes they can! But they don’t always enjoy doing so!

If you’re excited to see whether your hamster takes to swimming, you could try it out. But make sure, especially the first time, that there is an easy escape route and no risk of your hamster panicking and taking in any water.

1 COMMENT

Hamsters cant swim! They can die of being too cold, and it spoils their skin. If you put water on them, their natural oils will get it off; but they can’t get their natural oils back.Since the oils in the coat are gone, the hamster’s coat will no longer trap the heat in the hamster’s body. This causes your hamster to get very cold, catch a cold, and die. If you think your hamster needs a bath, give it a sand bath. At pet stores you will most likely find Chinchilla bath sand. Chinchilla bath sand is what you will need in order to give your hamster a sand bath.

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